President Bassirou Diomaye Faye launches 'Operation Phoenix' to consolidate power, drawing over 700 Pastef youth members to new movement
via SeneNews7 min read
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye is consolidating his political base through a new movement called "Jeunes patriotes pour la République" Jpr, which has seen over 700 members of Pastef's "Jeunesse patriotique sénégalaise" Jps defect within 96 hours. This move follows a reported crisis between President Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, and aims to reassert the President's control over the electoral base that brought him to power. The Jpr, launched on July 23, 2026, in Dakar, describes itself as a movement of free and voluntary adherents, not beneficiaries of political appointments. It includes key territorial leaders from 46 departments and the diaspora. Dubbed "Operation Phoenix," the initiative seeks to remobilize the militant base directly around the President to support his national transformation project. The Jpr states that its members are primarily grassroots activists, students, and cadres who have not received presidential decrees. This development is seen as weakening Pastef's radical wing and centralizing support around the presidency, with the Jpr planning to establish structures across all 46 departments. Pastef's leadership is reportedly observing these resignations as an epiphenomenon, while the struggle for the legacy and direction of the patriotic project is now openly engaged.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by SeneNews.
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